8 Secrets of Success!

In Transition...

Moving back to Toronto I felt caught within a whirlwind of emotions and ideas. But, once I found how to move with the changes, and let go of the fear that often surfaces during transitional moves, I felt free! Free to explore the possibilities of the city, a new job, a different roommate/home and a new season.

I wish you all happy transitions and quiet moments to feel change and move with the flow of life!

Following is a lovely poem that captures the mood and moment:

Unconditional

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I gain the embrace of the universe;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me,
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game.
To play it is purest delight;
To honor its form--true devotion.

- Jennifer Welwood

Cheers to transformation!!!

Finding Balance?

How do you find balance? This question has come up a few times over the last week and so I'm going to put it out there. We all get swept along by jobs, time lines, relationships, and emotions. How do you free your mind, find solitude, connect with your inner god/goddess?! Now, now, I'm not getting all hippy-dippy on ya. I'm just saying we all need balance. Too much is too much.

As this question arises I hear a multitude of answers. Some look to writing/reflection, yoga, meditation, cooking, physical activities, soaking in a bath, spending time with loved ones, etc. But, I want you to go further than simply coming up with one of your past times that helps you unwind and relax. Why and how do these hobbies or quiet spaces provide solitude? Why do we need balance? What occurs when we live unbalanced lives? And what happens when we get lost in our experiences?

Create gaps in the stream of thinking! Without these spaces your thoughts become repetitive, uninspiring and not very creative. Boring! And who wants to live a boring life?

I was cloud gazing today, out here on the Saskatchewan prairies, and I discovered that we can learn a lot from a simple cloud. My Mom taught me the delights of the cloud game, many moons ago. We would search for images and make believe objects while lazily watching the clouds drift apart from our perfect spot lying on the grass or beach. As I grew older I used that game to help calm myself and others. I was often viewed as the mediator at school. Kids would run up to me, at recess, to ask my advice or opinion on different arguments. I felt special that they chose to ask me and I would listen to the dispute and tell them my advice. Sometimes, I didn't have a clue what to tell them and when I didn't know what to say I would lead the little group to the back of the school ground and tell them to lie on their backs and look up at the clouds. We would gaze up, pointing and telling each other what funny shapes we saw and the dispute would drift away, too.

Now, I find myself relating to cloud wisdom once again. As an adult I see the beauty and I am still in awe, mystified by their wonder and shape shifting abilities high above.

"How surely gravity’s law
strong as an ocean current
takes hold of even the smallest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world.

Each thing—
each stone, blossom, child—
is held in place
Only we, in our arrogance
push out beyond what we each belong to
for some empty freedom.

If we surrender
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.

Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused.

So, like children, we begin again
to learn from the things
because they are in God’s heart
they have never left him.

This is what the things can teach us
to fall
patiently to trust our heaviness
Even a bird has to do that
before he can fly.


- RILKE (Book of Hours)

My Fun, Fun, Fun Farm!

While Wayne was running the highway I wandered into Indian Head, pop., approximately, 1500. There was lots going on in this small town on a Saturday afternoon. A tea bazaar was being held in the armories, a new hardware store was holding a grand opening bbq celebration and the main street was closed off to allow people to stroll along to shop or talk to friends. I had an extra bounce in my step as I made my way along Main Street in search of coffee and a place to write in my journal. However, I passed the two coffee shops as I felt propelled to venture to the end of the strip. I came up to a new/used trinkets shop and felt mesmerized standing in front of the quaint little window display. It was nothing out of the ordinary but it was just one of those moments, like, "yeah, this is where I need to be". I'm not really a shopper/browser yet I felt pulled to enter this store. Once inside I looked around for a bit before I was asked by the owner where I was from and how I had come about wandering into her store. We started to talk and sure enough this wonderful lady had lots to say. When she heard about the Cross Canada Run project she piped up about her history of being a foster care parent and the trend in her life to attract mental health causes. People who suffer are drawn to her and she has helped many affected. We kept chatting, I told her about couchsurfing and asked her advice on where we could shower and plug in the RV for the night in her town. Within minutes she was drawing me a map to her farm and inviting us to stay the night! I was blown away and also excited to explore her farm 10 miles north on their isolated land.

The next 24 hours was pure bliss! We had great conversations, a lovely meal and well deserved rest in their comfy, cozy farm house. Dixie and Robert Kleine moved from BC to Alberta to Indian Head, SK over several years after several jobs. They wanted a base after many years of wandering, living out of their funky bus and raising their kids. They found their paradise here on the Kleine Commune! They call it Whoville Farm and there's tons of cool, antique farm stuff, equipment and nick knacks that fit their wacky, free spirited lifestyle. What a wonderful couple! I'm so glad I wandered into Dixie's store that day!

Here's a few pictures to display my absolute gratitude and love for the farm, Dixie and Robert and all their fun, fuzzy friends who gave me hours of enjoyment!

Antique Saskatchewan

I have been fortunate to experience the beauty and antique side of Saskatchewan over the last week. It all started with a hotel stay at the 102 year old Wolseley Hotel in Wolseley, SK. Wayne was a bit skeptical at first since they were hesitant to give us a room. The hotel is full of old antiques, paintings, copper doors and frames, an ancient piano, books, one "lavatory" per floor, gorgeous, old radiators and funky carpets.
The hotel is located above a bar and the owners live in half of the building. We had been living in the RV for four days so it was time to find a real bed and shower. Luckily, they agreed to have us stay for two nights at a discounted price. At first it felt like we were staying in a haunted house. The walls creaked and moaned, the radiator tapped all night long and the dark hallways seemed to whisper of past affairs and long forgotten travel adventures. Cool!

That same night we were invited to Sandra and Ken Dobra's home in Grenfell, SK after our speaking engagement at the Grenfell Health Care Center. Sandra is a social worker and Ken is a retired teacher who is working on setting up the new 9-11 services for the province. They are a lovely couple with huge hearts, open minds and an active lifestyle! We spent a wonderful evening chatting, philosophizing and wining and dining over a fabulous homemade meal! Again, I was lead through an old, beautiful home with tons of Victorian flair! Sandi and Ken rescued their 100+ year old dream home over 20 years ago when they decided to settle down in the quaint town of Grenfell.
There was a great structure in place and with a few additions and new pieces they created a fabulous home for themselves and their two kids. I was in awe all evening and managed to capture some good shots on my way to the bathroom. Wayne and I left town energized and drunk on good vibes! Thanks Sandi and Ken for being our angels in Grenfell!

An Ode to HWY Truckers!

A trucker is a paradox.
He is a blue jeaned executive with his office in a cab.
He is a scientist who hauls dangerous chemicals and explosives;
a purchasing agent in a baseball cap;
a personnel director with grease under his fingernails;
with a fondness for burgers and fries, steak and potatoes'
a student of geography
and a weather watcher who reads the clouds for rain or snow.

He likes sunshine, smooth pavement,
good traction, clean loads, dinner at home,
weekends with his family, his shirt collar unbuttoned
and country music. And there is a special place
in his heart for his rig.

He's not too fond of city traffic, tourists,
or rotten drivers, fuel prices, dispatchers,
snarly receivers, rubber neckers,
kids in high-powered cars or drunk drivers.

Nobody else gets as much satisfaction out of
talking about trucks, truckers, gear shifting,
good weather, homemade pie, strong hot coffee,
kids, wives, sweethearts and the price of diesel.

He is your friend and your customer.
He is your source of food, building products,
clothing, petroleum, natural resources, in fact,
nearly everything in your life arrived in his truck."

At first I was scared of the rushing, angry trucks that passed me along the Trans Canada and when I was out there running on the shoulder I received looks of shock, frustration and facial expression that seemed to say, "what, are you mad? get off my road!" Then, I decided to just run with my head down, lost in thought and surrounded by the beauty and expanse of the prairies... not always the safest way to run on the highway. Finally, I came to a better and more peaceful solution when I discovered that I just needed a shift in perspective. And I started to realize that the truckers love the road as much as me, long for the freedom, silence and glory of a never ending road ahead. They also have deadlines and loved ones waiting for them at home. And thus, began my sweet embrace with truckers (from afar); the trucker wave! I often notice them giving other truckers a nod or a wave and I decided that now that I am a runner of the road I too can give and receive the supportive wave!

I went for a 15 km run with Wayne a few days ago, and what better day to start my waving project! We waved and smiled, threw a bunch of peace signs out to the guys behind the big rigs and watched the smiles and enthusiastic waves roll our way! Let the joyful, roaring, honking game begin. One by one we enticed trucks of all different shapes and sizes to let their horns shine! We laughed and waved and ran our little hearts out that day with an extra spring in our step and a renewed respect for our fellow warriors of the road!

Friendly Manitoba!

Manitobans are really living up to this slogan! So many people have gone out of their way to help us out, people who have helped this project continue to inspire others and encourage Canadians to speak up for mental health care. There is so much that needs to be done within this industry and towards the overall mindset surrounding psyche and how we view our selves. This project is not just about promoting physical exercise or asking people to join together to support those affected or only to shatter the debilitating stigma that gets attached to mental illness. Of course those are the main focuses, yet, there is an underlying message that is emerging, a shift of consciousness that I can sense within myself and others, pulsing and shattering old philosophies that we mistake for our reality. Modern ideas of ego and entitlement, self and society are transforming and providing new spaces for conscious development. There are a lot of worries that hang over us, but as we become aware of these fears, they diminish and we begin to find happiness and health in abundance!

And the gracious Manitobans that I am meeting on a daily basis are helping me discover the real joy of living and being. Good people are attracted to this run. In the last 24 hours I have met some amazing peeps! At the Welcome Inn, a mental health organization, we met a group of enthusiastic women who are passionate and involved in mental health education and advocacy. They all work within the industry and are also affected in various ways. They were very inspiring to me, overcoming huge obstacles and opening their minds to different perspectives in order to lead healthier lives. A mental health care worker told me about her anxiety and the havoc it has wreaked in her life. One of her huge issues has always been blushing, turning scarlet when consumed with anxious thoughts, an embarrassing exhibition of fear displayed in multiple, burning shades of red. She shied away from social situations and spent many days alone and fearful of her cheeks showing her true colours. And then the shift; she realized that red was a beautiful colour and if she told people about her anxiety and physical reaction they didn’t focus on her cheeks and neither did she!

Then one of the administrative girls, Amber, ran back into the room, where we all chatting, just beaming from ear to ear. She announced that she had just called her Mom and she had agreed to have us over as dinner guests. Amber was so excited to have us over and to cook some of her favourite recipes for us later that night. The Collister family was very welcoming and supportive. We had a great dinner and warm-hearted conversation. It feels so good to sit around a table with kind, supportive and open minded locals, getting their perspective on their communities, family life and personal struggles and passions.

Yesterday, I met a guy that used to suffer from severe panic attacks on a daily basis. His doc gave him tons of pills and sent him on his way. He felt doped up and out of control on the meds, without really feeling emotions, just swimming through life without experiencing complete sensations. Scary! He decided to take matters into his own hands and flushed his pills and started power walking for 1 to 2 hours a day in the early mornings before work. He figured out that intense physical exercise could produce similar bodily reactions that the panic attacks were causing him to experience (i.e. shortness of breath, tightening of muscles and organs, racing blood pressure, etc). And he could experience these “symptoms” in a safe environment where he felt control over them. This process, over six months, allowed him regain confidence and control over how his body and mind reacted to different triggers or in certain situations.

It felt like time stood still for a moment, as this large burly man (think stereotypical trucker) poured his heart out telling Wayne his story and recovery through exercise. He no longer experiences these attacks because of this shift in consciousness. I was so glad to meet him and hear his story! I love how this project attracts such positivism and hope!

Just picture it: two grown men discussing the science of exercise with their eyes just shining with compassion and respect for one another in the middle of a cold, blustery Tim Horton's parking lot in friendly Manitoba! A hallmark moment, so to speak. I really got to get Tim Horton's on the line here, what a heart stirring, truly Canadian, commercial. Roll Up the Rim for Mental Health!!! ;)